Boys Soccer Ties Jasper, Loses to East Central

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The Seymour Owls opened their season against the Jasper Panthers on Saturday, drawing 1-1.

After a tough season last year, Seymour was looking to start its season with a win. The Panthers, however, had other ideas.

Seymour’s best first half chance came from a free kick. Junior Gabe Baker stood over the ball, eyeing the Panther goal. Instead of shooting, Baker decided to pass. He lofted a cross toward a crowded penalty box. Senior captain Cameron Cox was the first to react, but his lunging header was saved comfortably by Jasper goalkeeper Geo Delarosa.

Jasper answered quickly with a chance of their own. Jasper captain Tony Menjivar whipped in a cross off a corner that found the head of junior Sam Leonard. The junior redirected the ball towards the Seymour goal and off the crossbar.

The Panthers enjoyed the majority of the first half possession, but the game was tied 0-0 going into halftime.

Early in the second half, the Owls struck. Senior Jessiel Rosa received a ball in a wide position from junior midfielder Kevin Cervantes. Rosa beat one defender before whipping in a cross toward senior Owl striker Isaac Schafer. The senior moved to attack the cross, but was bumped from behind by a Jasper defender. The ref awarded Seymour a penalty kick.

Junior Tsubasa Kato was chosen to take the penalty for the Owls, slotting the ball into the bottom corner.

Jasper wasted no time, attacking quickly after the Seymour goal. Just 12 seconds later, a long ball was played to Panther winger Sam Leonard, whose shot found the back of the net to level the game at 1-1.

Although Jasper continued to dominate possession, the contest ended at 1-1.

Just two days later, the Owls squared off against the East Central Trojans.

The Trojans were the more lively side early on, creating several opportunities. The Owls, however, were unfazed. Their breakthrough came when junior Donovyn Thomas picked up the ball in the opponent half. Thomas dribbled right before cutting back to his left and finding the run of sophomore Sotaro Miyagawa. The sophomore took a touch before being fouled in the penalty box. Without a second thought, the referee blew his whistle, awarding a penalty kick to Seymour.

Kato stepped up and calmly scored his second goal of the season.

Once more, the Owls’ lead was short lived. Just three minutes later, East Central equalized.

The goal came from a throw in that came to the foot of senior Eric Puterbaugh. The senior cut inside onto his left foot and launched a shot towards the far post. A beautiful curling effort, the shot nestled into the top corner to even the score.

The game was full of chances for both teams, but the best chance came from a Seymour corner late in the first half. The corner was taken by Baker, who lofted a pass toward the near post. The ball skipped through the crowd to a waiting Kato. The junior’s shot caromed off the post and was weakly cleared by a defender. Sophomore Owl Sammy Chandler reacted quickly, collecting the ball 12 yards from goal. Chandler unleashed a shot that was cleared off the line and out of bounds.

The game remained tied until late in the second half. East Central striker J.T. Roden was fouled, earning the Trojans a free kick 20 yards from the goal. East Central’s Puterbaugh took the kick, hitting a shot on the ground that nestled into the bottom corner.

Despite their best efforts, Seymour was unable to score another goal. The game ended 2-1 in East Central’s favor.

The Owls next matchup is on Saturday, August 21, against the Whiteland Warriors.